Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Chemistry

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Theses/Dissertations

2016

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Synthesis Of Microgel Polymers As Catalysts, Hannah N. Miller May 2016

Synthesis Of Microgel Polymers As Catalysts, Hannah N. Miller

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

New developments in organic synthesis show promise in achieving the best catalytic properties for the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds through microgel polymers and transition metal complexes. A monomer mix of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, butyl acrylate, and styrene form miniemulsion polymers after sonication and exposure to UV light. Gravimetrical analysis is used to determine the most suitable polymerization conditions by performing experiments at varying pH values, temperatures, monomer amounts, initiator amounts, and lamp heights. The final data show that the best polymerization conditions are a pH of 10.50 at 0°C with a high monomer ratio, 20% initiator amount, and a lamp …


Improving Photocatalytic Activity By Appending A Quinone To Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complex, Amy N. James May 2016

Improving Photocatalytic Activity By Appending A Quinone To Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complex, Amy N. James

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

By converting natural light energy into chemical energy, chemists are studying ways to take advantage of clean energy. The rising precedence of “green chemistry” has led to academic interest in the activity of photocatalysts and harnessing visible light in an efficient, accessible, and safe manner. Photochemistry is an upcoming and fascinating field of study that has made significant progress, but also has great potential for future work. By utilizing light as a natural energy source, many reaction processes in chemistry can be viewed with a new perspective. Ru(bpy)32+ is one of the most widely used photocatalysts. An efficient …


Staphylococcal Nuclease And Ubiquitin Local Folding Energies And Rates Using Peps-Hdx-Esi-Ms, Julie Rhee May 2016

Staphylococcal Nuclease And Ubiquitin Local Folding Energies And Rates Using Peps-Hdx-Esi-Ms, Julie Rhee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this study, Protein Equilibrium Population Snapshot Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (PEPS-HDX-ESI-MS) was applied to study the local regions of model proteins, staphylococcal nuclease and ubiquitin. The hydrogen deuterium exchange (HDX) has become a key technique for studying the structural and dynamic aspects of proteins in solution. This technique creates a rapid exchange between all of the exchangeable hydrogen ions with deuterium when the protein is exposed to a solvent. The PEPS method is an equilibrium-based method used to determine the populations of the closed native and open denatured states of a protein. By combining the applications of …


Regulation Of The Reaction Between Cytochrome C And Cytochrome Oxidase, Jennifer Silva-Nash May 2016

Regulation Of The Reaction Between Cytochrome C And Cytochrome Oxidase, Jennifer Silva-Nash

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Irreversible brain damage is commonly seen in patients that have suffered strokes, cardiac arrest, or other brain ischemia events. The hypoxic conditions result in neuron death, and previous studies have shown that additional damage occurs when blood flow is restored. It is thought that the lack of energy production during post-ischemia events also causes severe brain damage, as the brain heavily depends on oxidative phosphorylation. Cytochrome c (Cyt c) plays a crucial role in this energy production by means of the electron transport chain (ETC), transferring electrons between complexes ΙΙΙ (cytochrome bc1) and ΙV (cytochrome c oxidase, CcO). Mitochondrial …


Influence Of Cholesterol On Single Arginine-Containing Transmembrane Helical Peptides, Jordana K. Thibado May 2016

Influence Of Cholesterol On Single Arginine-Containing Transmembrane Helical Peptides, Jordana K. Thibado

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

An essential component of animal cells, cholesterol exerts significant influence on the physical properties of the cell membrane and in turn, its constituents. One such category of constituents, the membrane proteins, are responsible for diverse and essential biological functions and often contain polar amino acids. Although sparse within the hydrophobic interior of lipid-bilayer membranes, polar amino acid residues are highly conserved and may play pivotal roles in determining specific structural and functional properties of key proteins. To gain greater understanding of the lipid membrane environment, and more broadly, cellular function, a model peptide framework termed “GWALP23” (acetyl-GGALWLALALAL12AL14 …